Definition
The electric igniter, also called e-match or inflammateur in French, is the small component that turns an electrical pulse into a flame. It consists of two conductor wires 1 to 5 m long joined by a fine bridge wire, coated with a head of pyrotechnic composition protected by a shroud. Its resistance is typically 1 to 2 ohms; a current of 0.5 to 1 A fires it in a few milliseconds, while the test current of firing systems stays below 30 mA. The head is fixed against the product's fuse, in contact with the quick match of a chain or in the ignition tube of a cake, then the wires are connected to the module. Igniters are themselves pyrotechnic articles (category P1), transported and stored as such, and they are fitted last, after loading, with the system disarmed.
In practice, for the display company
Igniters are a consumable you never have too many of: one per cue, plus a margin for replacements after testing. PyroDesk counts them automatically from the firing plan (one igniter per single-shot tube, per cake, per chain), tracks them in stock with their wire length and warns when the reserve drops below the needs of the next show.